Fans of Hello Kitty will soon have a range of new video games to enjoy thanks to Sanrio and gaming company Azerion. Hello Kitty is one of the most recognized characters in the world, and this will be far from her first venture into the world of gaming, recently collaborating with Nintendo for Animal Crossing Sanrio amiibo cards. Along with her friends, the Sanrio superstar will be headlining a range of upcoming games with enough variation to potentially interest many different types of players.
The members of the Sanrio family have now featured in multiple video games, with Hello Kitty starring in everything from kart racers to platformers, puzzlers, and even an MMORPG. While Hello Kitty isn't exactly synonymous with gaming, those who owned a Nintendo DS or 3DS have likely played one of the adorable character's adventures. Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams, Around the World with Hello Kitty, and Hello Kitty & Friends: Rockin' World Tour are just a few of the Nintendo handheld games released for the DS line of consoles.
Azerion and Sanrio have announced a series of five new Hello Kitty games as part of a three-year partnership. Rolling out over the coming years, the line-up will begin with the release of Hello Kitty and Friends Jumper, and Hello Kitty Pinball. Hello Kitty and Friends Jumper will see players jump from platform to platform, relying on their own skills and timing. A few different characters can be selected to play as, including My Melody, Kerokerokeroppi, and Bad Badtz-Maru, as well as Hello Kitty herself. Hello Kitty Pinball will be a classic pachinko pinball game, with balls in Hello Kitty-themed colors and a special bonus which, when unlocked, will throw bonus balls into the fun. According to an Azerion press release, the games will be available on both web browsers and mobile devices, though no release dates have been confirmed.
The new Hello Kitty games are just the latest venture for her and her friends, following on from the Sanrio and Animal Crossing: New Horizons collaboration earlier in the year. Nintendo and Sanrio joined forces for the re-release of the Animal Crossing: New Leaf + Sanrio amiibo Cards Pack, now functional with the Nintendo Switch addition to the series, New Horizons. The pack of six cards introduces new islanders and a range of new item sets, each based on a different character from the Sanrio universe. Originally released in 2016, the re-issued cards sold out quickly, with lots of Animal Crossing: New Horizons players eager to decorate their islands with Hello Kitty goodness.
Unlike the upcoming games from Azerion, the Sanrio and Animal Crossing collaboration doesn't introduce any new gameplay. Players can instead tap each card to their Switch console to unlock special islanders dressed to honor specific Sanrio characters, as well as themed items. The villager group consists of Chai (based on Cinnamoroll), Chelsea (based on My Melody), Etoile (based on Little Twin Stars), Marty (based on Pompompurin), Toby (based on Kerokerokeroppi), and Rilla (based on Hello Kitty). With a live-action movie also in the works, Hello Kitty's future is looking very bright in 2021.
Source: Azerion